1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to snowshoeing and, more specifically, to an assembly for rigidly mounting a rear cleat upon a snowshoe, as well as a snowshoe incorporating such an assembly.
2. Description of the Background Art
Snowshoe rear cleats are designed to bite into snowy and icy surfaces to prevent slippage of the rear portion of a snowshoe. Consequently, it is important for a snowshoe rear cleat to be mounted rigidly, so that a strong bite into snow and ice can occur. If the rear cleat is mounted loosely so that it travels, or floats about, rather than addressing the ice in a consistent and rigid attitude, then slippage will occur, possibly causing injury to the snowshoe occupant.
Snowshoe cleats must also extend below the snowshoe frame a sufficient depth to allow the cleat members to gain purchase upon a snowy and icy surface. By extending the individual cleat members a sufficient depth below a snowshoe's frame, it is more likely that a good "bite" upon a slippery surface will be achieved, and likewise, good traction will result. The importance of good traction becomes paramount during steep climbs and descents, where the likelihood of slippage is greatest.
A popular method of attaching a rear cleat to a snowshoe is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,827, issued to Klebahn et al., and an accompanying brochure distributed by Atlas Snowshoe Company. In these references, the rear clear is comprised of a center portion having individual cleat members depending down from, and perpendicularly attached to, a center portion. The rear cleat is attached to a snowshoe by cutting holes in a patch of snowshoe decking material and placing the cleat members in a manner such that they depend downward through the holes cut into the patch of decking material. The patch of decking material is then sewn and riveted onto the main snowshoe decking web, for stability.
This prior art design uses the rubberized decking material as a substrate, wherein the rear cleat is held fast within two layers of decking material in a type of "sandwich" design. A drawback of this design regarding traction occurs because the center portion of the rear cleat is positioned atop a layer of decking material, rather than beneath it. This design therefore elevates the cleat upward into the snowshoe frame and thereby lessens the depth of penetration for a snowshoe rear cleat, having standard-length cleat members.
Alternately, if the rear cleat is placed beneath the rubberized decking material and mounted thereon, the rear cleat becomes unstable, because the stabilizing effect acquired from sandwiching between two layers of decking material is lost. The only option for achieving a sufficient depth of penetration with this prior art design is to lengthen the cleat members, which would correspondingly increase the weight of the snowshoe.
In one embodiment, the snowshoe rear cleat assembly which is the present invention causes the individual cleat members to extend a greater depth beneath the snowshoe frame than heretofore achieved, without necessitating the lengthening of the individual cleat members. In a second embodiment of the invention, the rear cleat is attached to the snowshoe decking in a simplified manner, thereby facilitating ease of manufacture. In both embodiment of this invention, the use of the "sandwiching" design present in the prior art, for stabilizing the rear cleat, is avoided.
Accordingly, the foregoing patents and other information reflect the state of the art of which the inventor is aware, and is tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information which may be pertinent with regards to the patentability of the present invention. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the disclosed information does not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.